Jesus Wants To Save Christians: A Manifesto For The Church In Exile (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
I really enjoy the parallels Rob Bell makes in this book with Pharaoh, Solomon, the domination system of Rome, and of course, our present day America. We are very privileged to have all we do, being able to not worry about a next meal, post on the internet, obtain an education, etc. Bell plays on this is convicts the hearts of each person on what they should be doing in this life which is helping others. I think the book went a little off topic compared to others I read by Bell, but I enjoyed the tangent overall to illustrate his points. One of the main themes I took home is people ought to be thankful and show this appreciation by helping to better each and every person. There is no sense in seeing people go without necessities. We need to do more to help people and it starts with YOU. Where was God when I lost my job? Where was God when my father died? Where was God when my son got sick? One of the most cliched answer to this question is "where He was when His Son was crucified."That answer is true, those who give it mean well, but it is often inappropriate and may come off as very insensitive. In "Jesus Wants to Save Christians", Rob Bell calls Christians to live out the mission they have been saved for. He argues that the best and most effective way to live out the Christian mission is in the context of a church. We shine brightest in community.God has ordained that His ministry to the world is primarily through His church, the church that He created and commissioned and empowered after the resurrection of Christ.Where is God when it hurts? God is in His church, using the human hands of its members to bind up the hurting wounds. He has saved us and equipped us to reach out for the lost and the least and the oppressed. Where is God when hunger strikes? God is in the hearts of the Christian "haves" that lend their food to the starving. God is in us, and working through us, His church, to challenge and change the world for His glory.Although Bell addresses the role of the church in the world tangentially, his message hits home with impeccable precision. Jesus wants to save Christians... from complacency and apathy and aloofness to the great commission. We have not just been saved for evacuation to heaven at such future day, we have been saved for the redemption of the whole creation beginning now. The whole cosmos groans for the "church" to be revealed, for the Christians to BE what they claim to be.This is a good read. All reservations about the current Rob Bell considered.
What do You think about Jesus Wants To Save Christians: A Manifesto For The Church In Exile (2008)?
Not as good as some of his other books but still intriguing.
—ilikebutternuggets
a very good read. well thought out and documented.
—khadija
